Peace in the Storm

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)

Hello, my friend…

Today’s scripture is taken from a very familiar passage of scripture. Jesus had told His disciples to cross over the sea to escape the crowds and, hopefully, get some rest. During their crossing there arose a great storm. His disciples, many of which were seasoned fisherman (and thus accustomed to the waters), became afraid because of the wind and waves. Jesus, meanwhile, was asleep in the back of the boat. Finally, out of sheer desperation, they awoke Him and asked Him a question many of us still ask today: “Master, don’t you care that we are going to die?”

Many of us have felt (or are presently feeling) the crush of life’s cares right now. Some are suffering physical distress, others are under great financial pressure, but no matter the source, the greater majority of those with whom we come into contact are battling extreme mental and emotional damage. It seems we have become so fractionalized, so splintered, so divided, that we cannot function as a community or a society anymore. The dark forces of this world (and I’m not talking about the Democrats and Republicans) have so infiltrated every area of our lives that we can’t even seem to think clearly anymore.

The importance of having quiet time in our lives cannot be emphasized enough. For years, we have heard preachers telling us we need to set aside a time for Bible reading, prayer, and meditation, yet I don’t know of too many who regularly practice this. I must confess, all too often I get too busy to do it. How sad that we have allowed the cares of this world to choke us. That is precisely how it feels, too. As if our very lives, our breath, our minds have become entangled so completely we can’t move. If we try to, we fall.

We often condemn the disciples for their (seemingly) crazy accusation – for that’s really what it was. They knew in their minds that He cared, but they had gotten so caught up in the storm around them that they revealed the fear that was running rampant in their hearts and emotions. Before we point our fingers at them, we need to stop and recognize we are often in the same situation. I say I believe that Jesus walks with me (rather, I am to walk with Him – but that’s for another message). I claim to believe that He is ever-present, that He sees all, knows all, is capable of all. Do I really? To their credit, I honor them for doing the smartest thing they could have done in that situation: take it to Jesus.

I mean, eventually they took it to Him. First, just like us, they probably tried to handle it according to their training and experience. They tried to muscle through the storm, rowing against the waves, using every ounce of wisdom they had gained, putting their heads and hands together with others to overcome it without turning to Christ. How often have you and I done the very same thing? When finances got tight for me in the past, I knew what to do: get a second (or a third) job – just temporarily until… When I felt the first hint of something wrong in my body, I would turn to WebMD and read about my symptoms, research some natural cures for them, and try to power on. The Army taught me to neglect my feelings and symptoms – to carry on the mission despite how I felt. My dad taught me that very same lesson as I was growing up (oddly enough, Dad was also an Army veteran). It is, usually, only after I have gotten myself all knotted up, all worked up, all stressed out and hopeless, that I turn to Jesus out of sheer fright. Just like they did.

Look at how simply Jesus handled the whole thing. He merely arose, addressed the storm, and commanded it, “Peace, be still.” I don’t think it was quite as dramatic as we see in the movies. I definitely don’t think it takes all the contortions we often see people perform, all the performances. I think (and I believe the Bible backs me up on this) that it only took His spoken command – coming from a heart of obedience, vision, and authority – to completely settle the whole situation. Notice, however, He didn’t arise and speak until the disciples came to Him with their concerns. We see this pattern revealed throughout the entirety of scripture whenever the man or woman of God allowed Him to speak and work through them. No grandiose gestures, no grandstanding, no cameras, no sound systems and smoke. Just the effectual, powerful, chain-breaking revealed Word of God being spoken with authority by one of His children.

My challenge to you, today, my friend is to – first of all – take your situation to Jesus. It was He, after all, Who took the sting of sin and death upon Himself at the cross, nailing it to that cross, that you and I may be free from its hold on us. Don’t wait until you are panic-stricken and worn out from the fight. Take it to Him the minute it manifests in your life. The moment the doctor gives you the news. The moment the notice arrives in the mail. The moment your friend turns against you. The absolute second a panic attacks tries to set in. RUN to Him. Tell Him all about it. Confess your fears. Then, allow Him to give you His Word for the time. Yes, turn over the situation to Him, but also be willing to work for Him, to fight alongside Him, to glorify Him in the victory that is to come.

I speak peace to you, my friend, today. To your situation I declare by the authority granted to me by the Creator of the universe, by the God of heaven, and by the blood of Jesus Christ: Peace, be still! As a child of God, I encourage you to stand up in the face of whatever is coming against you right now. Pull your shoulders back, raise your chin, straighten your back, and stand. Having done all, stand. And speak to your situation those words God gives you to say. Command healing. Command wholeness. Command supply. Command peace. Command rest. Jesus and I now grant you authority as a son or daughter of God to use His Name in the battle. Arise, my friend, for the Conqueror has come. He has heard your prayers, He has seen your tears, and He has come to deliver you.

Be blessed.